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Minn. responders resuscitate preemie in home birth

Post-Bulletin

STEWARTVILLE, Minn. — A baby born nearly three months early is in the neonatal intensive care unit at Saint Marys Hospital today after emergency responders resuscitated her following the unexpected delivery at home.

Larry Mueller, assistant fire marshal for the Rochester Fire Department, was one of the first on the scene at the Stewartville home about 5:45 a.m. Monday. The mother's name was unavailable this morning.

The baby girl's mother had felt some cramping and gone into the bathroom, he said, where the baby quickly arrived.

Mueller said the baby "originally responded to stimuli, but was pulseless" when he arrived. He performed several cycles of CPR on the infant until Gold Cross Ambulance personnel arrived and intubated her.

"The baby got her pulses back," Mueller said, "but 26 weeks (gestation) is still very early, and the lungs aren't fully developed."

The infant was taken to Saint Marys Hospital. Mueller said he learned this morning that Facebook posts indicate the baby is doing better than might be expected.

"That was the smallest" patient he'd ever worked on, Mueller said. "She was still attached to mom. I've done infant CPR before, but this infant was very, very small — no more than 2 pounds. She literally almost fit in the palm of my hand."

The mother of the child is doing well physically, he said.

Personnel from the Stewartville First Responders, Olmsted County Sheriff's Office and Gold Cross Ambulance responded.

"Keep her in your prayers," Mueller said of the infant's future, "but they do wonderful things at Mayo."